


This Is What Brothers Are For

by bunbunko



Series: Anderson's Bakery AU [2]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Brotherly Bonding, Elijah Kamski & Gavin Reed are Siblings, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-27
Updated: 2018-08-30
Packaged: 2019-07-03 08:06:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 3,388
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15814866
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bunbunko/pseuds/bunbunko
Summary: Short snippets of Gavin's and Elijah's childhood until Elijah's retirement from CyberLife.Pure fluff since Gavin and Elijah needed a happy childhood.Set in the same universe as my other fic, Coming Right Up, but can be read as it is.





	1. Chapter 1

"Say hello to your new brother, Gavin."

It was one of his earlier memories that he remembered clearly. Elijah, hiding behind his mother's legs and peeking at his house.

 _His_ mother and _his_ house.

Gavin, being the little shit he was, yelled 'no!' and hit Elijah's head before running to his own room.

He vaguely remembered hearing quiet sobbing and his mother's gentle voice from behind his door.

His father came into his room after that and asked him to come to the dining table in a way that he always does. No room for question. No chance to say no.

So he went to the dining room with the angriest face he could muster. Which was quite adorable for a boy his age.

"Gavin, introduce yourself," his father's stern voice reminded him. "Properly, this time."

He stomped to where Elijah sat and shoved his hand to him.

"Gavin."

Elijah reluctantly took Gavin's hand and shook it weakly.

"Elijah."

The dinner went pretty awkward after that.

His father wasn't the chattiest person on earth, and his mother was just trying her best to lighten the situation. But Elijah was quiet, replying in short sentences or awkward smiles. While his father occasionally grunted at whatever his mother told him.

And Gavin? Gavin was an angry little shit and chewed his broccoli way more aggressively than he should be.

When dinner was over, Gavin collected the plates and loaded it to the dishwasher because it's _his_ chores. The one thing he had that wasn't invaded already.

He peeked over and saw Elijah playing with a rubik's cube all by himself in front of the fireplace. His face was the exact definition of bored as he solved the cube over and over again.

It was pretty cool.

But it was 7 p.m. and Gavin needed to go to living room to watch his favorite show on tv. Not that he remembered what show was it, but he remembered liking it very much before he got over it and the show was cancelled a few years after that.

"What is that?"

He heard a timid voice asking him after a few minutes into the show. He turned around to see Elijah's curious face.

He never had a friend to watch this show before, so he excitedly told him what it was about. His parents never liked the show because it was too immature but he's a child, he got a free pass for liking it.

And Elijah got one too, he supposed.

"Can I watch it with you?" he asked again after he's done explaining.

"Sure."

So Elijah made himself comfortable on the couch. He laughed occasionally when a particularly silly scene came.

As they watched the show together, a thought creeped its way to Gavin's mind.

_Maybe having a brother isn't too bad._


	2. Chapter 2

They went to the same school.

Of course they did, 'that's only logical', one might think.

Not so logical when his parents already found out by then that Elijah was some kind of genius.

Because Gavin went to a _public school._

That particular public school was a mess. Disgusting lunch, teachers who can't teach for shit, cheap toilet paper that left you more dirty instead of cleaner, toilet stalls with a gap underneath it that could reach your knees.

Also it never locks properly, it was either stuck or came off completely.

Gavin went there because he absolutely did not want to go to a posh private school with uniforms and whatnot that his parents were eyeing for so long. He threw the biggest tantrum of the century, even his dad cracked and let him go to a public school.

Or normal school, Gavin would say.

What he didn't understand was why did Elijah went there with him. His parents had enough money to send Elijah off to the fanciest school in the US. School gotta be so boring when you can finish everything with one eye closed and get an A anyway.

He's even smarter than some teachers there.

But everyday, he packed his backpack neatly, kissed their mother goodbye and walked to the school bus with him.

He briefly wondered if they didn't care for Elijah as much as they cared for Gavin. If that's the case, he's ready to kick his father's shin and demanded he send Elijah off to a better school.

He got his answer when he went to take a piss in the middle of the night. He passed through the main bedroom and overheard their parents talking. He stopped, because he's the nosiest little shit in the universe.

"You know it isn't too late to send Elijah to a better school," his father said. "He's wasting his talents away."

"I know, but, he insisted on it," came the reply from his mother. "He didn't want to go to a school if Gavin wasn't there."

He walked away after that. His mother's words replaying itself over and over again.

So it wasn't their parents being cheap on the adopted kid. It was because Elijah wanted to go to the same school as him.

Why? He's not smart, he's not cool, he's the little shit that liked to hide Elijah's pencil in the weirdest place and watch as he sighed and found it anyway.

After he flushed the toilet, he walked back to his room that were shared with Elijah. They had a cute little bunk bed and everything.

He got the top bunk, of course. Not that Elijah cared, he just wanted someplace to sleep since he's always chronically tired in the night.

He closed the door as lightly as he could and walked slowly to the bed ladder. As he climbed, he saw Elijah's little tuft of hair illuminated by the nightlight.

He never realized that he slept with the blanket covering his face. What a dork.

"Night, Eli," he whispered as he settled down on his own bed.

He could swore he heard a reply but he was already drifting to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These are so short, but I love writing them.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I'll post 2 chapters everyday since it's already finished anyway.

Gavin saw red.

He practically heard sirens on his own head as he saw some snot-faced fuckers shoving Elijah down in the hallway.

Most students strayed clear of the scene, some muttering to themselves, but Gavin didn't even know what happened between seeing Elijah trying to pick his fallen things as the bully laughed at him and him sitting on top of the asshole with his knuckles bloodied.

All he knew is he was called to the headmaster's office.

The fucker was sent to the hospital since he was sure he broke more than just his nose.

Elijah sat beside him, silent. Like he always does when he's upset.

"I'm sorry," Gavin finally muttered as they waited for their parents to show up.

He didn't know why he apologized. But he felt like he should.

Elijah just shook his head and busied himself by inspecting Gavin's wounded knuckles.

"No," he said. "I'm sorry."

He really didn't know why Elijah apologized to him.

Maybe it was because he felt guilty that Gavin got in trouble.

Gavin didn't have much time to figure it out as their father came with his pristine suit and sharp glasses. He came straight from work?

Their mother trailed just right behind him with a concerned face.

The fear really just settled when their father looked at them with a clear disappointment on his face. Even Elijah pointedly avoided his disapproving glance.

The talk with the headmaster went as well as Gavin expected. Threats of expulsion, and many more.

Of course, his father's deep wallet saved Gavin from that.

As soon as he stepped inside his house, his father lectured him for hours.

"I raised you better than this," he said.

To this day, he remembered that exact words very clearly.

And he did, he truly did. Gavin did not know where the hell his explosive anger came from.

Or maybe it was because they were always treated fairly in their house that the sight of Elijah being treated badly angered him so much.

In any case, he was grounded. Not for defending Elijah, but for almost cracking the skull of a ten years old.

When he was about to sleep that night, he heard a faint voice from below.

"Thank you, Gavin."

He smiled a little as he closed his eyes.

"That's what brothers are for," he answered.


	4. Chapter 4

Elijah skipped grades more often than not, while Gavin went through school at a more relaxed pace.

Gavin also knew that he was practically invisible to the eyes of his extended family or family friends.

"I heard that Elijah was accepted into Colbridge."

"At such a young age?"

Such were the typical conversation over dinner parties held by their mother. They talked and talked and talked about Elijah, and never about him.

Not that he cared. He didn't really care. He's a normal teenager.

Normal teenager with normal teenager's problems. Like his growing crush on a boy that sat next to him during math. Or the stubborn pimple on his forehead. Or racing Elijah to the bathroom because the other bathroom was too far away and didn't have this fancy shower head made in Germany.

He didn't care, he was happy. But maybe it would be nice if their mother's friends stopped trying to pair Elijah with their daughters.

That shit was awkward as fuck.

"This is my daughter, Laila," one of them would say while they placed their hands on their daughter's shoulder proudly. "I think she should hang out with Elijah more."

Elijah would smile a painfully fake smile. The one where everyone thought that it was charming but Gavin knew that it was fake.

Years of being in the spotlight of their parents' many network forced him to train his fake smile.

It was awful to watch him assume a friendly but distant posture. They're both trained to be pleasant during social events but everyone was so disinterested in Gavin that he didn't have to pretend. He could steal all the canapés and none will be the wiser.

So he stole like ten pieces, put it all in a Tupperware container and fled to the bathroom. The one with the fancy shower head, since it's further away from the dining room.

Elijah came to the bathroom five minutes later with an annoyed face. He loosened his ties and sat down on the closed toilet. Gavin snickered at him.

"How was Laila?"

"Dreadful, we don't match at all and her mother was watching us like a hawk. She really wanted us to hit it off," he sighed. "I don't even think Laila wanted to be here."

"No shit, dinner parties are for old people," he said with a mouth full of canapé. "Shit this is so good, have some."

Elijah picked one and popped it in his mouth. He let out a sound of agreement and snatched another one.

"You know," he said after he finished chewing the canapé. "I could really go for some Mario Kart right now."

Gavin gave him a small laugh.

"Me too, brother."


	5. Chapter 5

They were 16 at that time.

Gavin won his first football game and Elijah graduated university. But of course, everyone else only cared for Elijah's achievement.

He and Gavin practically fled the wave of relatives coming to congratulate him and offer him every kind of jobs in their own companies.

They laughed as they hid behind a dumpster, waiting for their mother to stop searching for them.

Gavin's phone let out a quite ping, signalling a message coming.

It was from their mother.

_Fine, be that way. Just be back before 9._

"Mother practically gave us a yes," he said, voice a bit breathless after running while laughing.

"Great, let's get some candies and slushies," Elijah said, already rummaging his pocket for his wallet. "We'll celebrate as hard as we can as a minor."

Gavin let out a loud 'whoo!' as they walked to the convenience store for their loot. They practically raided the store for every bit of their candies and snacks.

They found a small quiet place beside a river after they're done shopping for foods. Candies for Gavin and savory treats for Elijah.

Elijah raised his red slushie towards Gavin.

"Here's to Gavin winning his first football game. Even if he cheated a bit," he said with a shit eating grin.

Gavin just raised his caprisun, with a matching grin.

"And here's to Elijah's graduation. Even if he's a total recluse in university and never had a normal party in his entire life."

They knocked their sugary drinks together and enjoyed their treats by the river.

"I'm moving out," Elijah suddenly said. "To Detroit."

Gavin's smile dropped. That was too sudden.

"What? Why?"

"Too many family connections in New York. I wanted to start from zero. See what I can really do by myself," he said with a strong determination in his voice. "And Detroit is the perfect place for that."

He fell silent after that. He didn't know what to say. Elijah always wanted to be with him, even going as far as spending 2 hours commuting everyday since he'd rather live with Gavin in their childhood house than live alone in a place closer to his university.

But now he wanted to leave to pursue his dreams. 

"Alright," he finally said. "It's only a matter of time, right? We can't always be together."

"Gavin-"

"No, I understand, Eli. It's your dream, and I have mine. Besides, we could always call each other," he said with a smile on his face. "I'm not going to hold you back."

Elijah smiled back, "Thank you, brother."

"Now come on, it's almost nine."

They took their time walking back home, fully realizing it will be their last time walking this exact sidewalk together.


	6. Chapter 6

At first, Elijah called often. Even went back home during holidays regularly.

But as time passed, those calls became a rarer occurrence. Holidays were spent without him. He grew busier and busier.

Mother and Father resolved to stop talking about Elijah. Maybe they missed him so much that it hurt less to not talk about him entirely.

Gavin needed to move out too since he was accepted into a good law enforcement academy. He knew that if he left, the empty nest syndrome will settle in quicker than ever.

He was worried about them. But he also had his dreams.

"Promise us you'll stay in contact?" his mother pleaded.

 _Unlike Elijah_.

It was left unsaid, but they all heard it anyway.

"I promise," he answered.

And so Gavin left his home.

He kept his promise. No matter how busy he got, he always made the time to call home.

The voice of his mother always put his heart at ease. They were very supporting. Father occasionally chimed in during the call, but he never talked much.

He wondered how could Elijah live without this.

One day, he called, and was answered by his mother's hoarse voice.

"Mother? What's wrong?"

She told him everything, about the car crash, about his father bleeding to death before the paramedics could save him. And he will be buried tomorrow.

He felt the world blurring. He realized he was crying, but he quickly composed himself and promised his mother to come back home soon.

He rushed back home with only a small backpack.

His mother never hugged him that tightly when he stepped inside the house.

"Can you," she choked out. "Can you call your brother?"

He did. Well, he tried. And he was greeted with his brother's voicemail every single damn time.

He wanted to smash his phone to pieces. To fly to Detroit and turn the city upside down to find his fucking brother and drag him home by the ears.

But he tried leaving a message first, in case he actually checked his phone.

"Come back home, dipshit," he hissed with all the malice he could muster. "Your father's dead."

He turned off his phone after that.

The funeral was a quiet event. His mother was despondent the moment he told her that Elijah wasn't answering his calls and it's doubtful that he'll come back home.

He sat down at the bench under a big tree when the funeral was over, watching the grave. He really wanted Elijah to come back home.

And he waited. He waited until the sun went down and the night grew colder.

He didn't even realized that he slowly dozed off and fell asleep on the bench, still in his mourning suit.

He woke up in the morning with a suit jacket placed on his body like a blanket. A black suit with silky maroon lining inside it. Elijah's favorite suit.

He whipped his head to the direction of his father's grave. Half-wishing that his brother will be there.

And sure enough, there he was. Hair just a bit longer, one hand holding a single rose, and he looked... tired.

Of all the things he expected to see from his face, tired was not one of them.

His eyes were bloodshot. The bags under his eyes were impossibly dark. His skin took a sickly hue, instead of his usual pale complexion.

He looked like a mess.

That can't be right, Gavin was the messy brother. Not him.

Elijah noticed that Gavin has woken up and started walking towards him.

"Brother," he rasped out as he hugged Gavin. "I'm so sorry."

Only now did Gavin realized how much weight his brother had lost. He was practically bone and skin.

He felt so fragile.

"I'll try harder."

He repeated that mantra between sobs. Gavin felt his shoulder getting wet but he can't bring himself to care. He's here, he's safe, that's all that matters.

"That's all I'm asking."


	7. Chapter 7

Elijah kept his promise when he said he'll try harder.

He called Gavin and his mother at least once a week. Usually he just told them about his week on his bed, often falling asleep mid-video call. 

They understand though. Ever since he was a kid, he always got tired easily. And now that he's incredibly busy, Gavin knew he needed that 12 hours sleep during the weekend.

Things were looking up for both of them. With Gavin doing well in the academy and Elijah made a huge breakthrough in his research.

He often called Gavin and told him all about his research, in which Gavin just nodded to whatever he was gushing about.

Look, he's happy that he's happy, but he didn't understand anything about robo stuffs.

So years pass, Gavin graduated with satisfactory grades, Elijah became more and more successful, they're both living their life to the fullest.

Until a single message popped in Gavin's inbox.

_CyberLife sucks._

Gavin was in the middle of compressing his face with a frozen pea bag when he read it.

He typed back quickly.

_What? Is that where you've been working?_

He went back to nursing the growing bruise on his face. Damn, being a beat cop really sucked when you realize you're the one who had to break up drunken alleyway fights.

His phone buzzed again.

_? ? ? ?_

_Yes? Have you been paying attention?_

Gavin looked at Elijah's message with confusion. He never knew that he worked in CyberLife.

_I really don't know? But hey, I'm up to talking shit about the fuckers at CyberLoser anyway. What's up?_

It took a while for the reply to come.

_I feel like I'm being choked slowly by the shareholders and the board of directors. Like fuck, these guys fight over budgets every fucking day even though we're currently the richest company in the world. Surely we can spare a few million dollars for the sake of innovation. But nooooooo, they just wanna add useless widgets to an android and sell it $1000 pricier._

_I'm tired of this. What should I do?_

It didnt't take long for Gavin to type his reply.

_Then quit. Life's too short to waste it on balding old men who liked the smell of money too much._

Eventually, Gavin's head was pounding too much for him to continue staring at his phone. So he put it down on top of the fridge and continued pressing the cold bag on his face.

By the time Elijah gave his reply, Gavin had fallen asleep on his couch.

_Well, just did that. Thanks for the advice._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love Elijah and Gavin as brothers so much. This is the trope that I never knew I needed.


End file.
